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Topic: New Blue Planet 'All Good' (Read 35448 times)

But the right set of fins is such a personal thing, and sometimes people transitioning from surf to SUP tend to try to turn the board from the middle too much at first. Once you get used to a full-on traditional 2+1 setup, it can do a lot of things for you in a SUP. But you may need to start getting your rear foot further back. You may be wanting to bring the focus of the fins forwards because you are trying to turn the board more from the middle than the board was intended to do.

The biggest clue to amount and type of finage youíll need is the thickness of the board in the rear half, and the amount of hard rail on the board, throughout (although obviously, most important in the rear half).

Well, the results are in, and I think that I have found the ideal fin combo for me on this board, for waves from one foot up to hollow three feet overhead. As mentioned in my last post, I was going to try keeping the Coln McPhillips 5.16" front fins, and changing the rear fin to a 5" cutaway in order to gain a little more depth for holding on steep hollow overhead walls, while keeping about the same surface area and rake as the 4" center that had been working well in small surf.I spent four hours today trying this combo in everything from overhead fast hollow walls, to mellow thigh high, and it worked amazingly well. I had good hold, speed, and tracking on the steep overhead walls; and the turning on the playful waist to shoulder high waves was at a whole new level. The board turned so tight on the first few waves, that my bottom turns almost turned into kickouts, since I was back up to the lip so much faster than I was used to. The roundhouses were so quick and tight that I was 10 feet back up the line rebounding off the white water in the time that it would have previously taken me just to get the board through the turn. This combo has opened up whole new levels of surfing for me on the All Good, making me appreciate the board even more

Here are my thoughts on the All Good after getting it into some good sized surf with juice.The rocker is working out fine in steep hollow drops; I just have to be sure to use my rear foot to adjust the nose angle when coming down with a pitching lip.As soon as I was on waves with any speed, I no longer have any concerns about the thin rails; they are easy to engage, and do not overbury as along as I have decent speed.I have come to love the arch bar for locating my rear foot. Most rear stomp pads to not give enough tactile feedback to reliably nail the rear foot position, and the kick in the back of the pad is too far back much of the time to be useful as a tactile reference. The arch bar is an easy to find, useful reference, that I have quickly become addicted to; no more inconsistencies in my rear foot positioning during rushed last second takeoffs. The speed down the line on steep fast waves has turned out to be awesome, once I got the fins dialed in, and figured out how to use the boards rocker line to optimize speed. I made a number of super fast walls the past two days, that on takeoff I never thought I had a prayer of making. The stability has worked out perfect for what I was looking for; enough extra stability to make a difference when it gets windy and choppy, without hurting the performance. Its 'All Good".(The attached image showed the cutaway fin I am loving, but the camera is really distorting the size. This cutaway is 5" (4.75 measured off the deck), so it is roughly the same depth as the Colin front fins.

Totally Good review, Nalu. The forum dearly needs more library material. It's not only today's readers that appreciate the information. Maybe Admin (when he off-the-foil) can set up a 'board name' index. Cheers.

Hi sflinux, glad to hear that you are enjoying the Fun Stick. A friend of mine just got one, based in part on my experience with the All Good. When you have time, we would love to hear your review of the Fun Stick.

Hi Nalu-sup,I became interested in the Fun Stick based on Dusk Patrol's post (thank you for that) on his travel board: https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,33688.msg380846.html#msg380846I weigh 200# and am 6'2", so the 140L Fun Stick gives me a guild factor of 1.52.You at 165# (All Good 120L) gives you a guild factor of 1.62.Your impressions on the All Good at your weight, mirrors what I feel on the Fun Stick at my weight after one surf session. Most of my boards are in the 29-30" width and I've struggled in chop (majority of my sessions are in chop). I struggled with boards at those widths that were under 138 L (guild factor 1.5). When I got a 10'11" x 32" board, I instantly saw the advantage of wide boards in chop. When the winds pick up, I prefer carrying smaller boards, so have been looking for something smaller. I found an older used Fun Stick carbon deck, which is 9'4" x 33" (140L). I like how the newer models have Kevlar rails.My first surf session on the Fun Stick was by far the best session I have had to date. The conditions were mild and somewhat clean. That session I had my highest wave count. It seemed like I could catch anything. A friend of mine was out on his longboard. He couldn't believe that it was my first time on this SUP, he was hooting and hollering for me on some of my waves. I told him that this board is wider, so easier.The session had fun waves, an elephant seal, pair of dolphins riding waves, and my friend teaching his 8 year old daughter in the lineup. It will be a memorable session for sure.I rode the board as a quad (L41 simsup fins), and don't see myself changing the fin setup for this board. I was able to make some steep drops, without pearling. Once the waves get bigger, I would be more comfortable on a more gun-like shaped board. But for head high and smaller, which I think this board was designed for, it is appropriately named. I was a little nervous because Blue Planet shows the Fun Stick is for Advanced riders of 195+ lbs. I consider myself as an Intermediate, who graduated from beginner. The Fun Stick gave me the confidence to aspire to be an Advanced Rider, as I pulled of my first floater reentry on this board. The Fun Stick is very intuitive and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested seeking more stability, if this is the guild factor that you are looking for. I have no problem with the nose to tail stability of the 9'4", which definitely makes me interested in trying the All Good, which would get me down to a stable board with a guild factor of 1.3. I was also looking at the Fanatic Allwave 9'2", but am pleased that I ended up with the Fun Stick, as I prefer boards with thinner rails.The only negative, remember this is a older model used board, was the tail kick area on the built in deck pad was slippery. I have since sprayed the deck pad, at the tail kick, with contact cement, hoping that will give it more grip. I plan on using the Fun Stick and my 10'11" as my winter boards. I could do a more in depth review in the months ahead, but I think you nailed it on the head. I would think the Fun Stick would just have more swing weight compared to the All Good. But the shape is legit, Robert Stehlik has done a great job with his boards. Surfboards that come in wider are beneficial for surfers in the beginner, injured, and older category. Wider sups are too. I suspect the learning curve will be shorter for those that spend time on boards of not just the appropriate length, but also the appropriate width.p.s. I love that you referenced Joe Blair. His boards are super fun, though mine are older at 8'10" x 30" (rides like a "malibu") and 9'6" x 30" (rides like a "gun"), so challenging in choppy conditions at my present skill level.

Great report, thank you!I don't think you would have any trouble with the nose to tail stability with the All Good, since the nose and tail are both wide enough to be pretty forgiving. Because the board has been thinner than most at 3.75", you might find that your weight sits low in the water. The 2020 version changes that by going up to 4" thick, increasing the volume to 125 liters. That new version might be great for you

I received the 2019 All Good on Christmas day. Had to go to the air freight terminal and grab all the presents! Since then, I've had it in the water four times, and the results are fantastic. For reference, I'm 5'10 and about 180#. 2019 board is 8'8"x31.5"x120L.

I chose this board for the increased width and stability on windy, choppy days, not expecting it to be a great board, but a compromise for stability in crappy conditions. I have a lot less fun when I'm falling off all the time... First day out I set it up as a quad with Futures GL2's, the waves were just overhead, really hollow, side-off wind with some chop, and about 700M off shore. Paddling and dropping in, the board exceeded expectations. No "easy in" on bowling, hollow reef waves, only a slight paddle speed advantage for SUP over short board, but you catch it in the same steep, critical section. However, the board never stuck the nose once, and standing on the tail didn't make it squirrely. Plenty of nose kick, and plenty of tail kick that you don't really notice until it's flat in the water next to you. Rocker throughout, but still paddles quickly. Turns in and grabs the face quite well. I was actually quite shocked, as I was expecting a dog because of the 31.5" width. That said, rail to rail, and in a rail cut-back, it felt quite stiff, and I had to use a lot of rear leg to "push" it around.

Next day, same spot, wind from the opposite side-off direction, same size, a little less chop. I switched out the fins for the GL2 thruster, with the center fin all the way in the back of the box. I thought for sure it was going to slide down the face on the steep drop in, but it held fast, and pulled into the wave face...again...shockingly well. Two unintentional cover-up's where I had to be mid-board, and it just stayed locked in. Got spit on one, got too high and thumped on the next With the thruster set up, the rail to rail and cutback became excellent. Interestingly, one thing that really stuck out was drive. Coming off the bottom, or into a cutback, pushing with the rear foot, I could really feel the board drive forward, which I never expected. Granted, I had low expectations for such a wide board compared to something 28" wide, but the board went way past expectations. I was taking a little video, and caught myself blabbering on about how the board really was the "All Good," and how it would be an excellent board for the transitioning prone surfer. I love all my boards, but after surfing the All Good only four times, I could just surf this one board forever. It feels that good. The only "down side" was that I had to move my rear foot quite a bit more than I'm used to when going from a bottom turn to a cut back.

The next two times out were on the west side of the island at a head-high hollow bowl that transitions to a fat shoulder to a dumping close out in six inches of water. First day had no wind and was incredible. Probably got 50 waves,and was blabbering on about how good the board was again. The next time, the wind was side at 20 knots, and the surf was really thumping. Initially, I took out a different board that was 8'8"x28"x116" with squash tail, as the surf was about 12' faces, but slabbing hollow. After falling off about three hundred times, I paddled in and got the All Good. Running out of time and tide, I never grabbed any bombs on it, so I don't know how it rides at high velocity in larger surf, but it was a real test of the stability I bought it for, and it didn't disappoint. Very stable in all four compass directions, and I only fell off a couple of times while standing waiting for waves.

So excited for the coming year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.

Looks like Santa was very generous with the 4 presents he left for you at the air freight terminal.

Robert makes some really good designs for his boards that perform remarkably well. And the "All Good" proved it's worth to you in your sessions with it. BTW, that was a very nice review. Lots of good info and details in it.

All you have to do now is to enjoy your new "presents" Santa just sent you.

Thanks for all the detail, I think, still digesting it all. I wanted to mention that I have bought way too many fins and finally found that the Collin McPhillips are the best for me. I have them on both of my performance boards.

Thanks for all the detail, I think, still digesting it all. I wanted to mention that I have bought way too many fins and finally found that the Collin McPhillips are the best for me. I have them on both of my performance boards.

A set of the Colin fins are on my wish list, but I can't get them directly from Futures any more, and I'm pretty deep in fins already

I just came across this awesome, detailed report, thank you! I will refer customers to this for fin selection. I really appreciate the feedback Nalu. Oki wild, that is quite the quiver you got there, stoked, keep those gopro videos coming!